Heuchera plant named ‘Mysteria’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct hybrid of  Heuchera  plant characterized by very free flowering and with a long bloom time (bloom from early spring to late fall in Canby, Oreg.), excellent warm pink flowers in dense clusters that fade to darker pink, leaf color pewter with dark veins, excellent tolerance to heat and humidity, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Mysteria’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heuchera and given the cultivar name of ‘Mysteria’. Heuchera is in the family Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Mysteria’ originated from a cross between Heuchera ‘Lipstick’ (U.S. Plant patent application No. 12/800,260) as the seed parent, and Heuchera 831-2, a proprietary non-commercial hybrid as the pollen parent Heuchera 831-2 has Heuchera villosa var. macrorhiza as the pollen parent. This breeding plan was to produce a hybrid with a long bloom time, heat and humidity tolerance, and quality large flowers on short stems.

Compared to the seed parent, Heuchera ‘Lipstick’, the new cultivar has a larger leaf size of pewter leaves rather than green and warm pink rather than red flowers.

Compared to the pollen parent, Heuchera 827-1, the new cultivar has silver rather than purple leaves and warm pink rather than white and pink flowers.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Milan’ (U.S. Plant patent application No. 12/658,174), the new cultivar is a larger plant and has larger, lighter colored leaves and darker pink flowers.

Compared to Heuchera ‘Raspberry Ice’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,340), the new cultivar has darker foliage with more silver, larger, more numerous flowers, and a longer bloom time.

This new Heuchera is uniquely distinguished by:

-   -   1. very free flowering and with a long bloom time (bloom from         early spring to late fall in Canby, Oreg.),     -   2. excellent warm pink flowers in dense clusters that fade to         darker pink,     -   3. leaf color pewter with dark veins,     -   4. excellent tolerance to heat and humidity,     -   5. excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (tip cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by division and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may change with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The photo shows a 1 year-old plant of Heuchera ‘Mysteria’ growing in the ground in full sun in the garden in August in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivar based on observations taken in May of one-year-old specimens growing in the ground in the garden in full sun in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to and average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.         -   Size.—33 cm tall from top of the foliage to the ground and             43 cm wide.         -   Habit.—Mounding.         -   Vigor.—Excellent. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Rosette.         -   Shape.—Broadly ovate.         -   Lobing/division.—5 main lobes, the terminal is the longest;             shallow secondary lobes.         -   Venation.—Palmate.         -   Margins.—Broadly crenate and somewhat undulate.         -   Apex.—Mucronulate.         -   Base.—Cordate, lobes strongly overlapping at the base.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 13 cm long and 11.5 cm wide.         -   Texture.—Leathery.         -   Surface texture.—Glandular on the both sides.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 18.5 cm long and 3 mm wide,             glandular hairs, closest to Greyed Purple N186C.         -   Leaf color.—Topside, spring leaves are silver purple with             dark veins and margins, Purple N77C and N77C with veins and             margins N187A, bottom side Greyed Purple 187B; mature summer             thru winter leaves are silver, Black 202C with dark veins             and margins, between Greyed Green N189A and Black 202A,             bottom side Greyed Purple 187B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Size.—Grows to 8.5 cm wide and 18 cm long.         -   Type.—Thyrse.         -   Number of flowers per thyrse.—About 190.         -   Number of thyrse.—About 30 for the whole flowering season.         -   Size of inflorescence.—Grows to 16 cm long and 6 cm wide.         -   Peduncle.—About 44 cm long, 3 mm wide at base, Greyed Purple             N186C, glandular hairs, with no cauline leaves.         -   Pedicel.—Variable in size, with glandular hairs, Greyed             Purple N186C.         -   Bloom period.—May through November in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—3 mm wide and 5 mm long.         -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid, down facing.         -   Color.—Red 54A. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Perfect.         -   Shape.—Campanulate.         -   Size.—7 mm long and 6.5 mm wide.         -   Corolla description.—5 in number, inconspicuous, 2.5 mm long             and 1 mm wide, spatulate, tip acute, margin entire, glabrous             on top and glandular on bottom, Red 55D.         -   Calyx description.—Campanulate, 7 mm long and 6.5 mm wide,             with 5 lobes divided ⅓ way to the base, each 2 mm wide and             2.5 mm long, glandular hairs outside and inside, tips acute,             margin entire; inside color Red 54A, outside Red 55B with             bottom ⅓, Red 54A, and lobe tips Red 53A.         -   Stamen description.—5 in number, filaments 1.5 mm long,             White NN155C, anthers sterile, 0.5 mm, Red Purple 71A.         -   Pistil description.—1, 2-beaked, 4 mm long; ovary 1 mm long,             Yellow 1D; style 2 mm long, Yellow 12D, stigma White 155A.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Lastingness.—Each thyrse blooms for about 3 weeks on the             plant. -   Fruit: none produced. -   Seed: none. -   Pest and Disease Tolerance: Excellent disease resistance to powdery     mildew, the common problem of Heuchera. Susceptible to Heuchera rust     and root weevils. 

1. A new and distinct Heuchera plant as herein illustrated and described. 